BRAZIL —
It wasn’t just the party faithful attending Tony Bennett’s talk before the Clay County Republican Club Monday night.
After his talk, which focused on education reform in Indiana, a question-and-answer session generated lively debate, discussion, explanation and anger. More than 60 people packed the Clay County Senior Citizens’ Center to hear the controversial state superintendent of public instruction.
During his comments, Bennett said he believes parents should have choices about whether to send their children to traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools or other options.
He said many ask him how he can advocate for private schools and home schools when his title is state superintendent of public instruction.
“My answer to that is my public is 1.2 million children,” Bennett said, an answer that received applause.
“If you read Indiana law, there is nothing in my job description that says my job is to advocate for public schools,” he said. “As a matter of fact, my job by statute is to be over the Indiana Department of Education, which provides services for traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools and home schools. I should be an advocate for all of our public — for all of God’s children.”
And that’s what we will continue to do,” he said, a comment that generated more applause from several in the audience.
Bennett said he favors high quality options, including more “good” charter schools. “I want to close bad charter schools. I don’t think they should operate,” he said.
On the topic of vouchers, or public money benefiting nongovernment schools, he said he believes it’s “good public policy.”
When people say it takes money from the public school system, his response is that he’s read state budget bills, and they don’t specify that the money is dedicated to public school corporations.
“That money belongs to children. That money belongs to the state to educate children, and we should use that money however children are best educated,” he said.
During his talk, Bennett insisted that public school teachers are not under attack in Indiana. But outdated public education systems and structures must change and put students first, he suggested.
But Denise Sobieski, a biology teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School, disagreed. “We do, Mr. Bennett, feel like we’re being attacked,” she said.
After Bennett’s talk, she said she’s concerned about what will happen to public education if Republican-backed bills become law.
She doesn’t believe the so-called education reform agenda is about children and improving their education. “I think it’s really all about money,” she said. She believes the Republican education agenda is an effort to create business for some people who will “make a profit on the backs of kids.”
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
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